Ravichandran Ashwin provides 'Bengaluru traffic' analogy for England batters ahead of third T20I

In the couple of T20Is played so far, England have not been up to the mark as far as delivering with the bat is concerned. The series opener was an utter calamity for the visitors, ending up with only 132 on the board in their allotted 20-over quota. The second game in Chennai was much better in terms of the score. However, the same template of rash slogging was a constant feature of their gameplay.  

In the same vein, the former Indian cricketer, Ravichandran Ashwin, highlighted the unidimensional brand of cricket England have played so far with a real-world case study. Quite fascinatingly, he cited the classic example of "Bengaluru traffic" to describe the approach of the English batter in the ongoing series.

"England have played incomplete cricket. They have made a series of mistakes. When you play in India, you can't play in one tempo. If you drive in Bengaluru traffic, you can't always be in the fourth gear. It's the same logic here. Sometimes, you can't even go to the fourth gear in Bengaluru (laughs)," Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.

In cricket, it is said that conditions are the king: Ashwin

Furthermore, Ravichandran Ashwin reasoned that specific conditions demanded different game plans with the bat. In specific, he described the difference between playing inside the powerplay phase to that of batting in the non-powerplay periods of a T20I game. Hence, playing to the conditions was of the utmost importance as pointed out by the former spin legend of India.

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"I had said this last time as well. The fearless, daredevil approach of Team India is good. Of course, you should have that fearless approach in the powerplay. However, you need to respect the conditions as well. Not all conditions will suit aggressive batting. In cricket, it is said that conditions are the king," Ashwin concluded.

The third T20I between Team India and England will be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. Out of the fourteen 20-over games played at the venue since the start of 2024, spinners have reigned supreme as compared to pacers in terms of possessing a significantly better economy rate. In the same vein, it will be interesting to see how the English batting unit approaches their innings. They will be desperate to put in a much-improved showing, as they come into the game in a bid to stay alive in the series.